A New Canal Boat

The Georgetown canal boat provided fun and educational tours to school groups and tourists for nearly 30 years. After being decommissioned in 2011 due to extensive damage, it sat rotting in the canal, a reminder of the once-robust interpretive programs that were the victim of NPS budget cuts. In 2016, Georgetown Heritage and the Park Service removed the old boat in preparation for the first phase of canal restoration work. Watch a video (left) of that event!

Georgetown Heritage received a grant from the District of Columbia to fund the design and construction of a new boat, which will be delivered in Spring 2020. This new boat will be a similar historic replica from the heyday of the canal’s commercial operation in Georgetown. It will be equipped with modern amenities as well as a historically accurate design. Together, the C&O Canal NHP and Georgetown Heritage will use the boat as a platform to engage visitors with the compelling story of the canal in Georgetown, the people who built it and worked on it, and its transition into a beloved National Park.

Georgetown Heritage

Georgetown Heritage works to revitalize, activate, and interpret the National Park Service assets in Georgetown into inviting, inclusive, and inspiring destinations, with an initial focus on the C&O Canal National Historical Park.